Teen activist sets standard

Students seeking a role model could do worse than emulating Mississippi's Sarah Kavanagh, who tilted at giant PepsiCo — and won.

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Posted Feb. 3, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Feb. 3, 2013 at 12:01 AM

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Students seeking a role model could do worse than emulating Mississippi's Sarah Kavanagh, who tilted at giant PepsiCo — and won.

Sarah, 16, is a vegan who noticed the unfamiliar term "brominated vegetable oil" in the list of ingredients of Gatorade, a Pepsi product. She investigated and found that, though BVO is still allowed in foods in the United States, it's been banned in Europe and Japan as a food additive. She wrote to Pepsi and launched an online petition challenging the world-famous beverage maker to remove BVO from Gatorade. The public caught on, and more than 200,000 people signed the petition. Though a number of other popular soda and energy drinks still contain the ingredient, Pepsi announced it will remove BVO from Gatorade.

BVO has been around for decades. It's used to emulsify flavor droplets, which would otherwise separate. More than 40 years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed BVO from the "generally considered safe" list and has since imposed tighter restrictions on its use as a food additive.

Sarah's effort drew media attention, and she has since made numerous TV appearances airing her concern over the use of BVO and encouraging others to work to eliminate it in foods. Some of the coverage pointed to a Scientific American magazine report that noted BVO has been registered by chemical companies as a flame retardant, and citing at least one animal-behavior study in which the chemical was linked to behavioral changes.

Sarah notes that Gatorade and other products are sold in countries where BVO isn't allowed in foods, so obviously these beverages can be made without it. She continues her argument that BVO does not belong in any food or drinks.

A volleyball player, Sarah was just 15 years old when she scrutinized the label of her preferred post-game drink. That she took the time to pursue the issue is commendable. Even more remarkable is the attentive teen's perseverance, going after public support for removing an ingredient she considered suspect and then learned the manufacturer could do without when making its products.

Sarah Kavanagh may well have a professional future in public advocacy. For now, she serves as a great example to teens everywhere for how to make a difference that matters.